US refusing to foot full Malta ferry bill for Libya rescue

A Maltese ferry company that shuttled two jumbo catamaran ships to Libya to rescue Americans during the 2011 war on the North African country has been unable to collect full payment, local media has reported. The company, Virtu Ferries Ltd., had launched litigation in January this year after failing to reach an amicable settlement with the U.S. on a million dollar balance due for the emergency ferry services between Malta and Tripoli, requested by the U.S. government, sources said. According to the Malta Independent, the cost of hiring the vessel was fully paid but the "layover" fees for delayed departure, called "demurrage," were in dispute, after bad weather and 12-foot waves forced the ships to remain in the Libyan port for two days, until Feb. 25. The demurrage rates contracted amounted to 20,000 euros per hour, the report said, though the rate may be reduced in practice in case of force majeure events. The U.S. state department contracted the vessels through the American embassy in Malta to evacuate hundreds of its citizens from Tripoli--eight hours by sea south of Malta--as mercenary militiamen approached the capital at the start of the war for regime change. Through its embassy, the U.S. has twice refused service of court documents, reports in Malta said. It will be in default of a 20-day notice to respond if it ignores the final summons for the next court date, set for April 1, the reports added. The embassy declined to comment on the open case when contacted by Xinhua, but had cited earlier a 60-day notice period according to "customary international law," in a note to the Maltese Foreign Office, press reports said. Virtu Ferries started running its ferry service between Malta and Sicily, a one-and-a-half hour trip to the north, in 1988.